The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 9, Ed. 1, Friday, October 31, 1969 Page: 2 of 8
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PAGE 2
THE OPTIMIST
OCTOBER 31 199
EDITORIAL
It's Different Now
The Optimist welcomes all alumni parents and friends to the
campus during tills special weekend. We hope you enjoy your
annual visit and we hope you learn and profit from your stay
here.
We welcome you to a campus that Is different from the campus
of several years ago. Although the official statement of purpose
for the college remains the same there arc new administrators
new buildings new students new plans.
Abilene Christian College is not unlike other college
communities public or private. Higher education is in trouble
some have said and the challenges have not been absent from this
campus.
Today's college student faces the increased challenges of
competition and identification. Besides facing the daily tests of
classroom skills the student feels the college is more concerned
about the image of the school than the welfare of the student.
They get the feeling they exist for the college not that the college
exists for them.
Administrators and faculty and staff members arc also tried
more often. Several years ago few positions in the academic world
were considered more desirable or prestigious than that of
president or dean of a college. Today those jobs arc reserved for
none but the truly dedicated.
The Optimist hopes campus visitors and campus residents will
find messages and meanings in the events and issues of this week.
We haven't tried to hide anything. We haven't cleaned up the front
page for the benefit of our visitors. We're trying to tell it like it is
Interpreting for the student and for the administrator.
The musical for those of you who have tickets for Friday or
Saturday night has a relevant message. Forget for a few minutes a
few sensitivities and listen for meaningful lines from the
characters.
We challenge visitors to put themselves on today's college
campus either as administrator or student. We challenge current
officials and students to look at their positions. Are you part of
tomorrow's solution or today's problem?
Parental
Concern?
Editor:
This is in reply to last week's
letter from a mother of an
Abilene Christian College stu-
dent living in Tulsa Okla.:
So we come to ACC because
we will see the biggest and
best-name entertainment. This is
reasonable logical parental con-
cern? Raymon Fullerton
ACC student here for
an education
We're
Immature'
Editor:
The following is an excerpt
from the play "An Overpraised
Season" written by Richard S.
Dunlop:
"The problem of what to say
and how to say it; what to think
and how to think it; what to do
and how to do it. If what we say
Is contrary to what our elders
believe we're wrong because
after all we're immature. If our
thoughts are too liberal or
perhaps too conservative or too
conformative too rational or
too irrational it's a 'passing fad'
and everyone's satisfied but us.
"If our behavior Is too
extreme we're delinquent; If it's
too calm we're ' sick. Music
written for us is music of the
jungle and in school where
we're supposed to learn our
literature is oarefully edited and
.some books are never men-
tioned. "There are those you know
who would protect u from the
world by providing us with the
armor of Ignoranee and too
ofttn our information must
come in plain wrappers. We're
watched and chaperoned and
heroed and cared for and
guided.
"We're told to be individual-
istic while we see our society
worshipping the common the
average. We are told to grow up
and we're told to keep in our
place; we're told to be adult but
to be in by ten; we're told to be
mature but no one seems to
agree on what maturity is. We're
wondered about fought over
and despaired of and consigned
to disaster.
"We're the younger genera-
tion but we're given precious
little chance to be proud of it.
Are we complaining? No not as
a group. But some of us wonder
where our place is and how
we're supposed to find it."
"If there bo any virtue if
there be any praise think on
these things."
David P. Himes
Evil Is
In Men
Editor:
"My Brother's Place" is a
good place where my brothers
and sisters go to listen to
music talk to friends and enjoy
entertainment. My brothers and
sisters enjoy the thought pro-
voking atmosphere the relaxa-
tion it gives and the truth we
hear in the music.
But some of my brothers
don't believe that "My Broth-
er's Place" is good that it has
a potential for evil; and so they
are trying to force their opinion
on others of us.
I most strongly disagree with
my brothers who do not
appreciate "My Brother's Place"
and I feel sorry for the
restricted life they live having
to enforce a Christian life
whioh does not necessarily have
McMurry Has
Ritual Bonfire
McMurry College has had Its
homecoming and bonfire. Abi-
lene Christian College freshmen
are asking "Why can't we?"
In an interview with ACC
freshman David Perry (one of
the coordinators for the bon-
fire) C. W. Blackburn Abilene
fire marshall said it's a matter
of tradition versus ritual.
Blackburn said McMurry was
permitted a "campfire" with a
10-foot square base and eight
feet high because the fire is a
homecoming ritual. Blackburn
explained that fires which are a
part of a ritual can be
permitted under new Texas
outdoor fire laws.
But ACC cannot be per-
mitted to burn an open
outdoor fire because the bon-
fire is only a homecoming
tradition according to Black-
burn. He said further that the
size of ACC's bonfire Is a fire
hazard to houses nearby.
THE OPTIMIST
ACC Station Box 8203
Abilene Texas 78601
Published weekly except during
vacations and final semester examina-
tions by student journalists at
Abilene Christian College. Subscrip-
tion rates: $3 a year or $2 a semester.
Entered as second class matter June
29 1929 at the post office In
Abilene Tex. under the Act of
August 24 1912.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR'
its basis in scripture but based
at times in the traditions of
men.
All things in which people
are involved have a potential
for evil but the evil is in men
not in the places they
congregate. The only way to
destroy the potential for evil In
a place is to eliminate humanity
in which evil exists.
At "My Brother's Place" I
learned about the consistency
between Godly law with respect
to its underlying principles. I
gained an understanding of the
inconsistency between the prin-
ciples of men and the rules
they decree when men's law
supplants the law of God.
If potential for evil is a
legitimate reason for closing
"My Brother's Place" to my
brothers then is it not also a
legitimate reason for closing
other places which have a
potential for evil?
Shouldn't we ban all ACC
students from Mack Eplen's
because there is the potential of
being picked up? Shouldn't the
Paramount Theater be made
off-limits for they may show
an M-rated movie? Shouldn't
Sunday and Wednesday night
church be made off-limits
because of the way that all the
city parks fill up with poten-
tially evil couples? Shouldn't
we put out our eyes sew
together our lips cut off our
hands and muffle our ears so
we won't have to experience
living which is full of potential
evil?
In the name of inconsistency
NOI What a orime that in the
illogic of Inconsistency the
marvelous potential for good at
"My Brother's Place" is being
thwarted beoause the people
that are involved are those
whose hands are not bound
whose eyes are not plucked
whose lips are not muted and
whose ears are not deafened
some truth
some shuck
from raymon fullerton
Did you ever give dating a
close look? I mean a real
down-to-earth practical and
close analysis. If not then come
along with mo for a few minutes
while we look at it from a
different perspective.
While sitting in college algebra
you notice a girl to your
immediate left as you delicately
extract a piece of sleep (7:30
MWF) from your right eye. She
does a good job of beautifying
the campus and it is sort of
strange that you just now
discover her in the ninth week of
the semester.
Bell rings and you make
Inroads by addressing yourself to
her and tactfully requesting her
extension number. She grants it.
Her name is Judy Brown. You
also happen to personally know
right here on campus a J-u-1-i-e
Brown. Right.
Three days pass and you work
up your gumption and do in
fact call Judy Brown. Fantastic.
She answers the phone and you
immediately say "HI Julie . . ."
Moving right along in the
wake of Judy Julie Brown we
except by the authority of
Jesus.
My brothers who wish to
make "My Brother's Place"
off-limits are assuming power
which is not legitimately theirs.
They do not have the authority
to control the lives of others of
us for we are moral free
agents. We may be young but
we pray that we have Jesus
with us to compen-ate for our
youth. We may be inexper-
ienced but we can think and
see and observe and decide
what is right and wrong for
ourselves for we are account-
able only to God. We may be
wrong but we have the right
given by God to be wrong.
We wish to live and win our
lives all we ask of our
dissenting brothers is the hu-
man freedom necessary to make
our own value judgments and
the dignity which comes from
exercising control over our own
lives.
Perhaps my dissenting broth-
ers think that we are too
Idealistic. Christianity Involves
striving toward an ideal exist-
ence the emulation of Christ's
life. Ideals are never attained
because of practical limitations
such as our environment hered-
ity and education.
Christianity is an ideal way
of life. Therefore Christianity
does not exist except as an
idea.
But we have power from
God that makes an Ideal a
reality and a goal to strive for
which makes Christianity a
practicality. Thus for the
Christian the practical is the
ideal and that which can't exist
does exist because of the power
of God.
Are we too idealistic? Yes
but idealism is the only
praeUeal eouwe for the Chris-
tian to follow.
Sincerely
Ben Marston
now will look at a couple on
their first date say in a church
service. Y'all sit about three-
quarters of the way back from
the front near the inside aisle.
You have to arise twice to let
assorted formations of girls pass.
Now seated for the duration
of the service you're feeling
confident. She looks nice smells
nicer and your new sweater has
already won a compliment from
her. She politely leans slightly
your way and whispers "How
are you?"
In a fit of excitement you
answer "10" thinking she asked
"how OLD are you?" Ten
minutes later you've mustered a
comeback that will win the
evening. You ever so gently
say "That certainly is a pretty
dress. My mother has one just
like it."
Okay so much for the church
service complimentary session
and your mother's dress.
No matter what position we
play in the dating arena one
thing is for sure. It takes two
to . . . have a coke at Uie Brass
Lantern?
About
Fashions
Editor:
Drawing the line is always
dangerous but nothing could
be more perilous than a
preacher prescribing where hem-
lines should be. Yet this
culture of ours seems so intent
on completely baring the
human body that some guide-
lines might be useful.
Tex Stevens minister for the
Lindale Church of Christ in
Houston printed a little quote
that is helpful: Maureen Rea-
gan 27-year-old daughter of
California's governor when
asked about her conservative
hemline stated: "I sit on a lot
of platforms and I don't want
to worry about where my dress
U."
This young lady was con-
scious of two things: she was
aware she was in the public eye
and she was not indifferent to
her own possible influence.
The hidden premise behind
fashion of course Is to attract
by means of outward appear-
ance. But the Christian Is
primarily to attract by what is
inside (I Pet. 3:3-4).
If the clothing we wear labels
us immediately as a "swinger"
or as one of the "miniskirt
mob" then it is going to be
terribly difficult for us to get
that Inner message through.
How hard it will be to convince
others that Christ is vital to us
when It Is painfully apparent
that being "in" and "fashion-
able" counts far more than the
people whom we repel by our
worldliness.
Se maybe our Christian
parents aren't so square after
'all. They know eon forming to
this world Is easy and destroys
our Influence for Christ.
E. J. Romlgh Jr. ACC senior
1
I
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 9, Ed. 1, Friday, October 31, 1969, newspaper, October 31, 1969; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth99502/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.